Who Is It Named After? Detective Christopher Ridley Plaza

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Det. Christopher Ridley was never supposed to be a name on the map of two Hudson Valley cities, but his selfless attempt to help others in jeopardy cost him his life.

On Jan. 2008, the Mount Vernon police officer lost his life after intervening in a violent incident on Court Street in White Plains while off-duty. During a struggle with one of the men involved in the fight, Ridley's handgun fell to the ground and discharged, bringing nearby Westchester County police officers to the scene.

Arriving officers who saw Ridley attempting to retrieve his weapon, mistook him for an armed aggressor and fired, killing him.

Ridley had served with the Mount Vernon Police Department for just a year when he was killed. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of detective.

The Court Street Plaza in front of the county-owned building near where Ridley was killed was renamed in his honor. In August of 2019, a monument was built marking both Ridley's service and sacrifice and serving as a reminder of the circumstances of his death.

The Mount Vernon Police Department is now located at 2 Detective Christopher A. Ridley Way in honor of one of their own lost more than a decade ago.

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